Public comment sought on grant proposal

The Mineral County Commissioners and the District XI Human Resource Council will be holding a public meeting on April 25, at 1:30 p.m., in the commissioners meeting room to hear public comment on a grant that the commissioners are considering to sponsor on behalf of the council.

Jim Morten, from Human Resources and Development Council, spoke with commissioners back in March about an opportunity which would allow locals to possibly buy a home. Under the program, funds were allocated to the state to assist counties where there are a certain number of foreclosed properties. Mineral County was one of the county’s with a higher foreclosure rate.

The county could receive up to $1.6 million from the program. From there, the council would then administer the project, which they would start by looking at and purchasing homes from lenders that are foreclosed properties.

“We would then take these properties, get the homes up to standards and get them ready to sell to low-to-moderate income people,” Morten said. “The idea is not to let these places continue to sit on the market vacant.”

Morten said that in turn, they could come in with the extra money people need who maybe can’t get quite enough from the bank. He said that their assistance would be in the form of a low interest loan that would make up the difference between the sales price and what they could already acquire.

“So we would take a lien out on the property,” Morten said.

Morten said that what often happens is that properties will become rentals and while that’s not bad, the program is interested in putting homeowners into the homes. He said that usually once they have the money, they start talking with those who hold the foreclosed properties and start negotiating. Once a house is acquired, they go and take a look at everything that needs to be fixed or replaced.

Tending to areas that need repair is important, Morten addressed, because often times the families who go into the house have tight budgets and when a roof needs replaced they can’t afford to replace it.

“Fifty dollars seems like a small amount of money to have to fix something, but it’s making a big difference,” Morten said.

Public comment will be taken up to April 27.